Drivers rerouted, residents disrupted by water line break

SARASOTA — Commuters traveling U.S. 41 between Sarasota and Bradenton may face detours through the weekend as crews work to repair a water main that broke Thursday and buckled the roadway, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office.

The north-south roadway, also known as Tamiami Trail, is closed between Dr. Martin Luther King Way on the south and Myrtle Road on the north while the broken water main is removed and replaced. Once repaired, U.S. 41 will be repaved where water burst through and flooded the intersection at 32nd Street.

Drivers are being rerouted from U.S. 41 at Dr. Martin Luther King Way and Myrtle Street, east to Bradenton Road. Water is shut off to homes and businesses between Colleton and Patterson drives.

Gerald Boyce, the general manager of the city's Utilities Department, said water pressure lifted the pavement, allowing water to pour through cracks in the road and disrupting the major thoroughfare at around 1 p.m. Thursday.